OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 19, 2016) – Addy Clift's clutch shot and Sarah Parker's perfect free-throw shooting proved to be the difference for Oklahoma Christian on Saturday afternoon against Cameron.
Parker went 12-of-12 from the line to help stake OC to a double-digit lead, and Clift swished a corner 3-pointer with 1:17 left to break a tie and the Lady Eagles held on for an 87-83 win in the Eagles' Nest.
Parker, a senior from Piedmont, recorded her second career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, leading four Lady Eagles in double figures and helping OC post a sizable 49-38 edge in rebounding. She also made all eight of her fourth-quarter free throws as OC went 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) from the line in the final quarter to hold off the Aggies.
"We lost our momentum here and there and lost our composure, but in the end … we were able to keep it and go to the free-throw line and make some free throws and help ourselves out," OC coach Stephanie Findley said.
"People are going to chase (Clift) around. She's not getting as many looks as she used to. But she got one then and she was ready to knock it down and that was timely – so timely. We needed that and it was a big shot in the arm for us."
OC (1-3) never trailed during the final 23½ minutes, but never quite put away Cameron (1-3), even after taking a 68-58 lead with 5:31 left in a pair of free throws by Parker.
Two more free throws by Parker gave OC an 80-74 advantage with 1:56 left, but Cameron answered with a 3-pointer by Natalie Halbleib and a three-point play by Jamie Bonnarens, the latter with 1:28 left to tie the game for the first time since the second quarter.
Undeterred, Clift – a sophomore from Kiowa – worked herself open in the corner and buried the 3-pointer to put OC back ahead. After Charron Montgomery missed a pair of free throws for Cameron, McKenzie Stanford hit 1-of-2 from the line with 1:09 left and after an offensive rebound on Stanford's miss, Kylee Hicks did the same for OC to make it 85-80 with 1:04 left.
Bonnarens made things interesting again with a 3-pointer with 44.7 seconds left to cut the margin to 85-83, and after an OC turnover, the Aggies had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final 12.5 seconds. But Halblieb was called for a charging foul with :04 left, and Audrey Hayes subsequently hit two free throws to seal the win for the Lady Eagles.
Hayes scored a career-high 14 points and had four steals. Stanford had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Clift had 11 points. Backup point guard Shae Scheffleralso contributed a career-high nine points in 14 solid minutes.
Scheffler "did a lot of good things," Findley said. "She took care of the ball. She handled the pressure when they started with the full-court pressure. She came in ready to give us what she could and she made it to the rim a couple of times and got shots off and made layups. She just really provided a spark for us off the bench. That's what we need from her."
Cameron led by as many as six points, going up 24-18 less than a minute into the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Bonnarens, But OC seized control with an 18-5 run, capped by two free throws by Scheffler that made it 36-29 at the 2:07 mark. OC led 40-37 at halftime.
The Lady Eagles' lead ballooned to 50-38 after an 8-0 run in the third quarter and again at 55-43 after a 3-pointer by Clift at the 3:42 mark of the quarter, but Cameron pulled within 57-54 entering the fourth quarter.
Caitlin Clancy led the Aggies with 17 points off the bench, while Savanna James had 13, Bonnarens had 12 and Montgomery had 10. Cameron's undoing was poor shooting – 35.9 percent (28 of 78) for the game, including 29.7 percent (11 of 37) from 3-point range. OC shot a healthy 45.1 percent (23 of 51) from the field.
OC will return to action Tuesday at No. 19-ranked Arkansas Tech.
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